Steam
by noodlecat0328
Summary: (My version of the Search) Azula, now going crazy, accompanies Zuko and Team Avatar on their search for Ursa. As much as she dislikes all of them, and Ursa, she was still her mother. Though her mind slowly opens up, she has absolutely no intention of being friends with anyone, never mind falling in love. Jealousy, love, and twisted tales.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or anything related. I do own most of the plot of this story though. **

**This is my version of The Search, in which Zuko looks for Ursa. If you have never watched Avatar the Last Airbender, I suggest you watch the show on or read the summary on the Avatar wiki. I hope you enjoy, and I would love any ideas (Especially with anything Sokka says)**

**Chapter One: Zuko**

I was back in the garden with Azula and her friends.

"Hey Zuzu! Come save Mai!" She had laughed. Mai had a burning apple on her head. I knew what was going to happen, and tried to stop myself from embarrassment. It still happened. I had ran to Mai and knocked her over. We landed in the fountain with a loud splash. I could hear Azula and Ty Lee's laughter. Mai's face was all red.

"I hate you all!" Everything was going like it had, I rushed away to my bedroom. Why was this replaying in my head? Do the gods want me to keep remembering the day my mother left me? I still miss her, but what can I do?

Mom came in, she hugged me. I breathed in, hoping to catch a bit of her scent. I can't believe myself. I'm eighteen, the reigning Fire Lord. Missing my mother. Azula won't ever do this. I know it. Everything was coming back, the memories, her scent.

"Azula, we need to talk." That was the first time I had heard my mom's voice grow that hard. She dragged my sister out of the room. I dropped onto my back, and closed my eyes.

"Zuko, I love you." My eyes snapped open. Mom was crying. Her tears dripping onto my cheek, "I'll always be with you." Then she left. I knew the dream should be over now. It always ended here.

But this time, it didn't. I saw her, faintly.

"Zuko, my dear. Come." she opened her arms and smiled. I ran to her. I wanted to tell her how much I had missed her and wanted her back to me. Like all good things though, mom disappeared

"No!" I sat up. The dream was over. I was back in my new, grand room. The air was cool, but I could feel myself sweating.

"Lord Zuko? You okay?" A painted face popped in. I let out my breath. Only Suki. It was strange having her around, since Kyoshi warriors didn't exactly enjoy the company of fire benders.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." I laid back down on the mattress. The red silk covers were soaked with sweat.

Another painted face appeared. "I told you to eat something before you go to bed. Hungry stomaches gives nightmares."

"It wasn't becuase I was hungry, Ty Lee." I snapped. This girl was really annoying, it's a wonder she fits in with the Kyoshi warriors. She shrugged and went back to her post.

"If you need anything, just tell us," Suki's voice broke through. I nodded, wanting to get some much needed sleep. The night was dark, and the moon was bright, I remember the time when Sokka told me his girlfriend turned into the moon. Yue. That's her name. Maybe she could see my mom.

I knew I had to get some sleep. There was a council meeting tomorrow, and I can't risk being late. At least not again. Katara will definitly have my head then. Closing my eyes, I could still feel mom's presence.

"Wake up!" Someone pulled my blanket off. I blinked my eyes open. Mai was standing next to my bed, looking amused but annoyed.

I rolled onto my side, turning my back to her. "No... I wanna sleep." I whined, listening for her reaction. It was kind of weird that I'm acting like a three year old, but seriously, Mai's expression is well worth it.

"Don't pull this trick today, Zuko." She sighed, giving me a push on the shoulder. "Everyone's waiting outside. It's half past twelve."

I bolted out of my bed and yanked my robe on. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Crap, I could hear them outside. Then my doors were knocked down. Solid, metal doors.

"Good morning, my dear fire lord sir!" Toph burst through the door, getting dust on my carpets. I could tell that Mai was pissed off. "Or should I say, good afternoon." She snickered

"Shut up." I ran my fingers through my hair. Great. It's all knotted. Sokka coughed, but I could tell he was laughing.

"Now, if his great fieriness will join our meeting, we'll be glad to give him back his secret stash of fire gummies." Sokka grinned evilly. How did he find them? They were in my UNDERWEAR closet with my..

"Give me back the thing!" I shot him the angriest look I could muster, which wasn't very good since Toph and Aang were making weird faces at each other.

"What thing?" Damn, he was good at acting innocent. "I ate all the gummies, if you have to know. Toph did too." A chunk of dirt flew in from the window, hitting him in the face. I shot a look at Toph. She was grinning "Okay fine, it was mainly me. And Momo." The big-eyed lemur tilted its head questioningly at Sokka.

I sighed. This is going nowhere "Never mind. Let's just go."

Katara looked at me with a weird look in her eyes. But I really don't know what kind, since she always does it. "Your going out like that?" I looked down. I was only wearing my robe. And my hair is a mess.

"Come on Katara, Zuko doesn't look _that _bad, he looks like himself!" Aang grinned and put his arm around her, while Sokka and Toph gagged.

"Thanks?" Do I take that offensively or as a compliment?

"Well, whatever. We'll wait at the Jasmine Dragon while your changing." Katara swept out of the room, dragging Aang with her. I think that kid's her dog sometimes.

"Aww, I wanted to watch Zuko!" Toph and Sokka whined. I glared at them, about to speak. Mai stepped in front of me though.

"Sorry, girls, he's off limits." I laughed. Mai pushed them out of the room, and Toph fixed the doors. She was a fierce metalbender, that for sure. She turned around and threw a pile of clothes at me.

"Here, I'm not looking." She turned her back to me.

"You know you want to." I teased. She threw a bead at me, and hit me right on the head. I shouldn't underestimate her. "Ouch." Quickly, I pulled the clothing on and attempted to fix my hair.

"Er, Mai? A little help?" I turned around, an awkward smile on my face. She's trying to hide it, but I know she's laughing inside. I looked in the mirror. I looked like Sokka's painting of us, with spiky hair.

"Fine," She untangled my hair, tugging it. It hurt! Did girls deal with this every day? No wonder Katara was so cranky all the time. The hair loopies must hurt. When I looked back in the mirror, though, my hair was back into its neat bun with the Fire Lord headdress.

"Thank's Mai." I grinned at her, hoping to get a smile back. She looked at me questioningly. "What?" There wasn't anything on my face, was there? I mean, besides my scar.

"What thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"The thing you asked Sokka for?" She sighed, exasperated. Now that I notice, Mai sighs a lot. Like once every minute.

"Oh, that." Did I mention lying was never my strength? "It was nothing, just a ..."

She raised her eyebrow. I felt my palms begin to sweat. Thank the gods there was no knife around.

"Just a baby blanket." That made sense. What kind of teenage guy keeps their baby blanket? She snorted

"Okay, Zuko." She shook her head "I didn't know you were so sentimental. It's sweet"

I scratched my head, not knowing what to say. If I told her it was a painting of her, she'd probably ... well, I don't really know. Mai's the kind that's really hard to predict.

"Don't touch it!" She swatted my hand away from my hair. "Hurry up. They're waiting for you."

Now, the Jasmine Dragon isn't exactly close to the Fire Nation's capital, but luckily Uncle Iroh had opened another shop in the city. He's not usually there though, since he prefers Ba Sing Se. This tea shop was rather small compared to the original Jasmine Dragon and the tea is less ... tasty? I don't even know how to describe tea.

"Lord Zuko, we have arrived." Suki announced. I climbed out of the carriage, trying to keep my balance.

"Shall I do the honor of annoucing the time to our dear Lord Zuko?" The gang strut out of the shop, with Sokka leading the way. Toph nodded encouragingly.

"It is now two thirty, my dear Fire Lord Sir! I don't know what you were doing in there with Mai, but two hours is enough time to pull some clothes on." Sokka crossed his arm, raising an eyebrow.I opened my mouth. There was the hair too! He held out his hands "You don't need to explain what you were doing with Mai. Just saying, I don't really wanna know." I could feel my face heating up.

"Shut up Sokka," Katara sighed, fiddling with her hair loopies. "We're already off your precious schedule, aren't we?"

If you have ever seen Sokka's face, you'll know how it's extremely indescribable his expressions are. Well, right now, he's in utter shock and his mouth is wide open. I can't describe it.

"Now I'm going to be late for the fire flakes eating contest, which means I'll be exactly forty - two minutes late for me and Suki's date, which means I'll have to cut back on my dinner time..." I rolled my eyes. This is going to take a while. Unless...

"Ouch!" I quickly distinguished the small flame I made. Have to remember to use this trick next time he blabbers on. Let me just tell you something real quick. Firebending isn't 'evil'. It's the ultimate source of energy and warmth. Before, when I was hunting Aang, my firebending... well, it was kind of evil. It was fueled by rage and hate. Now, it's fueled by... I don't really know, happiness? After seeing the dragons firebend though, I realized there was so much more to fire bending. Fire is energy and life.

And before you ask, no, I'm not saying I'm bending energy and life. But that would be cool.

Before I could say anything though, I felt someone shove me hard. Toph, of course. If it was anyone else, I'd probably burn their face off, but Toph is like my sister.

"Come on, Zuzu, move!" That's my nickname. She's been debating on a nickname for me for months now, and this,apparently is the best one. 'It's original and snappy.' Toph said, even though Azula made it up. Normally, I would have probably burned her face off, but since she's not Azula, it didn't matter.

We gathered around our usual table, a round large piece of furniture in the very corner of the shop. As soon as we sat down, servers came around to serve us a hot cup of tea.

"Alright," Sokka cleared his throat, taking over "Today, we are here to discuss one of our closest friends." All eyes turned to me

"What? I'm perfectly fine!" I held up my hands. What the hell are they talking about?

Toph and Aang patted, well, punched me in the back "S'all right Zuzu, we know."

"Know what?"

Katara rolled her eyes "Zuko, we have eyes on you twenty-four seven. Don't try to lie." Wait what? So they can see me when I'm... you know?

"Don't worry, we're not _that _weird." Aang grinned. Avatars can mind read? "And no, I can't. Your face is... well, a rather clear window to your thoughts."

Sokka coughed again, an annoyed look on his face. "Anyways, Suki told us of your nightmares. With your mom."

"What?!" I stood up. How could Suki tell them? She's my guard! "That's none of your business. I don't need to tell you anything." I could feel mind closing from the world, shutting everyone else out.

I stormed out of room. They don't need to know anything. Who do they think they are? I'm the Fire Lord.

"Wait!" I could hear them as I stormed out. I didn't stop. I hate talking about my mom. It's almost like I'll break down crying or something. Just saying, I am not risking my image, even if they're my friends.

Friends. A smile appeared on my face. It was only about six months ago I was trying to capture the Aang and considered an outcast. Now I have friends. Good ones too. They were funny, smart, and... caring. As my carriage clattered on, I felt bad. They were just worried about me, weren't they?

"Lord Zuko, we've arrived." It was Ty Lee this time. Did Suki leave?

"Where's Suki?" I asked her. Her face was still painted.

"She has a date with Sokka," Ty Lee pointed out. "Remember? She told you last night,"

Now that I think about it, she did. I guess my dream just took my mind off everything else.

"If Aang and them show up, send them to my study right away."

"Aye aye, captain."

I walked back to my rooms, wanting some more sleep. Hopefully nothing will pop up and I can relax for once. Being Fire Lord isn't exactly easy going.

Mai was nowhere to be seen. She probably went back to her house. I could feel my eyelids drooping.

"Sir, what'd you like?" Shuzo, one of my bodyservants came up. He was a quiet one, and usually stays back. Coming to think of it, he was one of my mom's guards way back then.

"Um, yeah... how about a hot bath?" I asked. It was only about four, but I felt extremely tired out. He nodded once and backed away. I laid on my uber-fancy bedspread and closed my eyes. I hope the guys aren't mad. I'm just not good with people. Thinking about it, I should say sorry...

"Sir, your bath is ready."

"Okay, thanks." I dragged my half dead body into the bathroom. Like everything else in my living quarters, it was lavishly decorated. The wall tiles were covered with gold patterns and rubies. Rich red carpeting covered the floors. Don't ask me why there's carpet in the bathroom.

The bath water was already heated, and the steam was fogging up the mirrors on the wall. I dipped my hand into the water. Perfect.

I'm not going to tell you what I did next, since it's a rather private topic for me. But you probably know what I'm talking about.

Soaking in the water relieved my aching muscles. I sighed and leaned back, resting my back on the tub. My eyes automatically closed, and so did my mind. I fell asleep, feeling as if the water has also drawn the unease out of my mind.

Instead of falling into blackness, though, Mom appeared. She was walking towards me, arms wide open like before. I tried running again, hoping I would actually catch her this time. I swear I was only a couple inches from her until I woke up back in the tub. The steam covered everything, and I mean it. I could only see the water and my hands.

"Zuko.." I turned my head around. Who called my name? I squinted, catching sight of a figure

"Who's there." My commanding voice shouted into the echoey silence. It came closer and closer. I lifted my hand to attack, a small flame appearing.

My hand dropped.

"Mom." Her long robes were partially concealed by the steam, but her face was completely clear.

"Zuko, come." She held her hand out to me. I hesitated. She was probably going to disappear again. But then again, I might actually be able to touch her this time. I reached out, her fingers touched mine slightly

"You must discover who truly are..." With that she faded away.

"Wait! What do you mean?" I scrambled out of the tub, but she was already gone. Even weirder, a huge gaping hole opened up and I fell through. Yeah. It was a dream.

But I knew I had to find my mom. Sure, I had questioned my father before, but I didn't get any information. There was only one way I can find her now. Azula.

My sister who had teamed with Ozai to take over the world went mad in the end. Not that she wasn't crazy in the first place. I had the soldiers put them in separate cells, just in case Azula goes mad. I need to go visit her.

"Shuzo!" I called him as I got out and pulled my clothes on

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko?" He appeared almost immediately

I stood up straight "Prepare a visit to the dungeons." His eyes grew wide

"Lord Zuko, it is not wise to visit your father."

Why does everyone think he's still dangerous? "He's no longer dangerous, and I am going to visit someone else." I tried to put more authority into my voice

"Yes sir."

He backed away, and I followed. Outside the bathroom, the air was surprisingly cool, even though it was mid-July. I walked down to the dungeon entrance, waiting for a guard.

"Sir." A heavily armored guard bowed, his armor creaking.

"Azula."

The dungeons were dark and musty, dirt covering the stone walls. He unlocked one of the doors. Crazy laughter flooded out.

"Sorry, sir. She's still a bit unstable."

I lifted my hand, waving him off. Taking a deep breath, I stepped in.

"ZUZU!" She screamed. I've never seen Azula like this. Her hair was tangled and full of burrs. A long scar ran across her forearm, a reminder of our Agni Kai.

"Azula." I tried to keep my voice from shaking. Not that I'm intimidated or anything, but Azula was a horrifying sight.

"What do you want?" She spat.

"Where's mom?" My voice cracked

She laughed again, her body shaking. I could see her ribs.

"Let me out."

"What?"

"Let me out!" With that, a burst of flame appeared from her mouth. I stepped back, shielding my face. "Or I'll never give you her diary."

Diary? Mom had a diary?

"Where is it?"

"Oh, along with the rest of her letters." Another cackle.

"Tell me!" I shot a column of flames at the wall

"Let me go with you." Her eyes were glazed "I want to find her too."

It brought back memories of the better days when we were a family. She was my sister after all.

"Okay." I gave in. Azula deserves to come. Not Ozai. He destroyed our family.

"Sir? The avatar and your friends are here."

I nodded. It's time to apologize. "Get someone to tell them I'm coming. You take Azula to her old rooms and get her cleaned up."

A look of shock registered on his face. "But sir..."

"Don't question me!" I swept out of the cell.

The gang was waiting in my sitting room, chatting away.

"Zuko!" Toph shot out of her chair. They all turned to face me.

"Er, hey." Crap, how do I do this?

"Listen, we didn't mean to make you upset. Sorry." Aang looked down, his feet shuffling. "We were just worried."

"No, I'm sorry." I held up my hand to interrupt him. "I was acting stupid. You guys just want to help."

"Good job! That's two correct facts in a role. Bonus point for calling yourself stupid." Sokka cheered, throwing his hands up. Katara hit his head. "Ow!"

"So you wanna tell us what's going on?" Toph grinned, her sightless eyes twinkling.

"Yeah," I took a breath, a told them about the dreams, mom, and Azula

"AZULA?" Sokka spewed his tea "She's gonna kill you!"

"No, she's not." I reassured him "She's my sister. I'm not leaving her here and going off to find mom alone."

"You guys won't be alone." Aang stood up. "We'll come with you."

Katara and Toph nodded, smiling. "

"Just as long as Azula doesn't try to eat Momo, I'm fine." Sokka squeezed the furry lemur. "Besides, if someone _has_ to eat him, It's gonna be me, right boy?"

Katara sighed "No one's going to eat Momo, Sokka. Not even Azula."

"Do you want to bet?" Sokka stood up, a confident grin on his face "If she doesn't try to eat Momo in the first three days, I'll give up meat and sarcasm and become a monk."

"Isn't that what you promised Foo-foo Cuddlypoops?" Toph crossed her arms "And broke?"

"No..."

"Guys, shut up!"

I opened my mouth, hoping we could come up with a plan.

"Lord Zuko? Miss Azula's here." Shuzo quietly annouced. My sister came in, looking much more like her old self. I heard Sokka whimper.

"Of course," Azula sneered "Fire _Lord_ Zuko."

I ignored her "We'll leave tomorrow. All supplies will be prepared by then." Shuzo nodded and exited the room. "Azula, any funny business, and I'll hurt you for good." Course, I didn't mean it. It obviously reassured Sokka.

She didn't reply, but her eyes were daring.

"Anyways, where's that diary you promised? And the letters?"

She threw me a thin, tattered book.

"You'll get the others later."

Better then nothing.

"Okay, well, why don't we stay at the palace? It'll be easier to leave tomorrow morning." Toph suggested, a sneaky look on her face.

"Yeah okay." I didn't really care. And she did have a point. Sokka high fived her, but Toph punched his hand.

"OW!"

"Sorry!"

"Come on, lets eat at that place down the street." I suggested. Palace food wasn't that good "And Sokka, we have some things to discuss." He better not have taking my painting.

We all filed out of my rooms, but Azula stayed behind. No one made a move.

"Come on Azula," Aang held his hand out. "Let's go."

At first I thought she wouldn't come, but then she followed us. Maybe Azula would come to like Team Avatar. I grinned at the thought.

**Hope you guys liked it! I enjoyed writing this. Please leave more reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Azula **

"Come on, hurry up!" Sokka's voice rang across the grounds. Everyone was busy loading Appa and the war balloon with supplies.

"Why don't you do something?" Toph stomped her foot, shooting a bundle of who-knows-what onto Appa's saddle.

"I am," He held up his finger "I'm planning for our trip. Duh."

I rolled my eyes. The stupid water tribe peasant was no more a planner than a lion-bear. I'm surrounded by idiots. The only reason I came on this damn trip was to get answers.

"Hey, Azula!" Oh great, he's talking to me "Would you mind carrying this to the balloon. I mean, it is your stuff." I stood up, brushing dirt from my robes. Urgh, cotton.

"No, thank you peasant." I crossed my arms. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm royalty. You're not. Common sense says that you should do it for me."

His mouth dropped open. I saw his sister walking over to us.

"Excuse me? You're no more royal than we are!" She poised to attack. I smiled. She really thought she could beat me alone?

Holding out my hand, I shot out a column of blue fire at her. As expected, she shot a ribbon of water, distinguishing my flame. With my other hand, I quickly shot three more fire balls at her feet

"Azula!" Zuzu marched over, a disgusted look on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He grabbed my hands, locking me down.

"Teaching peasants a lesson!"

Katara panted heavily, a bubble of water still in her hands. The little blind girl held two boulders up, while Sokka took out his boomerang.

Finally, Zuzu sighed. He tied my hands with metal chains.

"Is that really necessary?" The avatar. He was the one who took everything from me and my father.

"Is that even a question?" Sokka grabbed his shoulders and shook him "She's gonna turn us into barbecue!"

Aang shrugged "I'm sure Azula will eventually get better."

No one spoke. Why the hell was he standing up for me? Is he feeling bad now that he realized what he has done to me?

"I don't need you pity!"

He shrugged, but said nothing.

"Okay, let's get going." Zuzu cleared his throat. I climbed into the balloon, almost falling over. Zuko climbed in afterwards.

"Aren't you going to go with your little friends?" The balloon rose up into the air as he shot fire into the oven thing.

He sighed "Look Azula, I'm not trying to pick fights with you or anything okay? You're still my sister."

"Yeah, and I suppose that's why you threw me into prison." I said sarcastically. He shook his head, a look of remorse in his eyes

We didn't speak. Things were too awkward between us. Ever since Ursa left, we were no more then enemies. Becoming Fire Lord had been my goal, and I was determined to destroy everything in my path to get there.

Hours passed with silence. My hands still bound, I looked at the puffy clouds. It shocked my how white and fluffy they were. For as long as I remember, the clouds were always gray.

Soon enough, it started to rain. I shuddered. Stupid cotton clothing. It was no warmer than being naked.

I felt a blanket draped over my shoulder. I looked up. Zuko was already walking away.

"Don't you want me to die. Or my bending gone? That way I'll never be a threat to your precious throne."

"You're my sister." He didn't look at me "I'd choose family over the throne any day."

I looked away. Over the years I trained myself to not show any emotion over anything. It was how I became strong. But there are some things that can't be helped. I felt my eyes water. Zuzu might have been banished out of the Fire Nation, but at least he had my mother's love. I've never been loved, and now he acts like I'm still his sister? Sure, father said I was his favorite, but in truth, I was only his tool. To gain favor from Grandfather Azulon. I was just another weapon of his.

The wall I have so carefully built around my emotions now has a chink. I blinked, trying to keep the tears away.

"Azula..." I felt Zuko's hand on my shoulder. I shook it off, hoping to fix myself before I fell completely.

"I'm sorry. Seriously. I wouldn't have put you in there if I could, trust me." His voice shook "The other generals threatened to launch war if I didn't. I just didn't want the people to hate you even more."

I didn't say anything. Tears were going to spill over if I did. I felt water drip onto my clothes. Zuko was crying. I've never seen him actually cry.

"I don't blame you if you really do hate me. But please, know I didn't do it to make you feel bad."

That did it. The dam inside me broke. For the first time in so, so many years, I cried. All the sadness and angedv I had kept buried deep inside came up. I buried my face in my arms.

He didn't say anything, just put his hand on my shoulder again.

"Get off." I muttered, turning away. I wasn't going to let myself be torn by emotions after so many years of hiding them.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Why?" I laughed. How can he be so dense? "Who did mom love best? Heck, who actually w_as _loved? You, Zuzu."

"Are you kidding?" A look of disbelief registered on his face "You were always dad's favorite. He loved you, not me."

I laughed again. Stupid, stupid, stupid! "Ozai? He never loved me! I was his weapon to get the throne and take over the world!"

His hand fell. "I'm sorry." Hearing that, my tears flowed again. This time, they didn't stop. My brother slowly put his arm around me. I shrunk away. Never have I ever been hugged. Not even by my mom.

"It's okay," He stroked my hair. I felt like a little kid again "You have me. I'll always be your big brother."

I didn't answer. What could I possibly say? My brother, who I fought in an Agni Kai and struck lightning at, now says he'll be there for me. Despite all the times I've tried to kill him, he had spared my life.

Maybe my heart of stone will actually learn to accept. Maybe.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The avatar flew by the balloon on his bewitched flying contraption.

"Hey Zuko! We're going to camp now! Appa's soaked."

"Got it!" He waved his arm. Then we started getting lower and lower. I held on. The balloon hit the ground with a hard thump. Zuko jumped out of the balloon, and held his hand out to me. I hesitated. Was I really ready to change who I am?

"I don't bite."

I took his hand. I'll try.

"Hey! I got meat!" Sokka waved two fishes in the air. I followed my brother towards them. Can I be friends with my lifelong enemies?

"Here." Aang handed me a roasted fish. He smiled brightly

"Um, thanks." At least I know now that someone actually likes me. Well, accepts me. I sat farther from them. They were still unsure about me, I could tell.

"Zuko," I muttered quietly. He whipped around. "Can you, um, untie me? I can't really eat." They shared an unsure glance.

"Well, why not?" Toph said loudly "It's four plus Sokka against one."

"Why 'plus Sokka'?" He stood up, a grumpy look on his face.

" You can't bend."

"I can! I'm a food bender!" He took a huge bite of his fish "See, I make food disappear! I can make it reappear too, but it's a bit more difficult."

"Ew, no thanks."

"I'll just untie her. She won't do anything." Zuko reassured them. Why were they all talking about me like I'm not here?

I felt my hands loosen. I flexed my fingers. They were all staring at me.

"What? Can't I eat in peace?"

"Well, everyone stop staring!" Sokka announced "We don't want her royal highness feeling uncomfortable!"

I bit back a sharp retort. Instead, I stuffed my face with food. Prison food isn't tasty. At all. Something called in the distance. I looked up.

"What?" They stiffened.

"A messenger hawk." I pointed up in the sky.

It headed towards Zuko. He caught the bird and took the message. I saw his brows scrunch.

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

"The generals are against Azula coming along."

"That's just silly. We're going to look for your mother!" Katara spat "What's wrong with them?"

I held my hand up. The nation can't afford to launch into war again

"I'll go back. Mom... she probably wouldn't want to see me anyways."

"NO!" She was standing up for me? "The stupid generals can eat dirt. Ozai forced you to do half the things you did during the war."

That wasn't true. I wanted the throne.

"Besides, she's your mom." Sokka murmured "She'll want to see you after all these years, no matter what."

I hung my head. Would she? If I was her, I'd be ashamed.

Zuko put his hand on my shoulder. "Your coming with us. They can't stop us."

With that, we went to sleep. My eyes wouldn't close.

"Aang?" It was the waterbender "Do you trust... her?"

"I don't know." He muttered. "But I think everyone deserves a second chance. What about you? You were helping her case."

"I was, but only because I think she should see her mom. I don't know if we can trust her. She's Ozai's daughter..."

I covered my ears, not wanting to hear any more. I should've known they were going to treat me as father's daughter. It didn't matter how hard I tried to fix myself, they would never trust me completely.

A feeling of unease grew in my stomach. I closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was surrounded by fog. I waved my arms, trying to see.

"Azula..."

"Who's there?" I snarled "Come out!"

A familiar but distant face appear. I dropped my arms.

"Mom." A sad, pitying look was on her face. Pitying me. Without another word, she turned away and disappeared. I didn't chase her.

This was obviously a dream. I mean, come on. I fell asleep in the forest, and wake up into nothing. Then mom appears in her Fire Nation royalty garbs. If she escaped and left, wouldn't she sell the silk clothing to get money?

"What are you trying to tell me?"

No one answered. I realized that mom probably didn't want me to come and find her. She doesn't want to see me, her no-good, evil daughter who tried to kill her precious son.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I woke up. The night was extremely dark. A blanket was placed on top of me. Zuko. I still hadn't apologized to him for trying to kill him. I took the blanket and wrapped up some fish and one of Sokka's knives inside. I'll give it back eventually. Now, something to write with.

The messenger hawks note was laying next to the embers. I took it and used the ashes to write. I tucked the note next to my sleeping brother. His scarred face was visible in the dim light of the dying fire. Why hadn't I done something to stop Ozai from burning his face? Too late now.

With a final glance at them, I turned and ran. They'll be much better without me. Besides, I have my own destiny to fulfill.


End file.
